1. Technical Field
The present disclosure generally relates to authenticating human users of a computer system and, more specifically, to using codes generated by a secure computer system to authenticate human users.
2. Related Art
Conventional methods are available to authenticate human users of a system. In one example, a human user of an on-line computer account has a username and password pair, and the user may be authenticated by presenting the username and password to a website. While the above-described method is not perfect—e.g., criminals may steal the real user's credentials—it is widely used and widely trusted to provide a secure communication channel.
In another example, a human user makes a telephone call to a bank. Before the human user is allowed to discuss his or her account, the user is asked to provide an identifier, such as a password in addition to an account number. However, presentation of such credentials over the phone risks that the credentials might be intercepted by a malicious party.